Verbal violence: A silent dimension of domestic violence in families in Akwakuma, Imo State

Abstract

Obviously, both men and women can be perpetrators as

well as victims of domestic violence. Verbal violence

implied the use of profane and dehumanized language to

intimidate or control a hearer to the demands of the

speaker. It was more prevalent in families and women’s

verbal violence against husbands was ignored by the

public or unpronounced as most men became so

shameful to be engaged in verbal exchange of words

The study explored the ways in which wives verbally

violated their husbands in homes that inflicted emotional

pain on men. The emotional pain remained unseen hence

the silent domestic violence. The study anchored on

Erving Goffman (1967) face-threatening acts theory and

Leech (1983) politeness maxims. Twenty-five (25)

samples of verbal violence utterances constituted data

for analysis. It was revealed that name-calling, insult,

sarcasm, negative prediction, criticism, comparison etc

were threats to face-worth, caused emotional pain and

therefore constituted silent dimension of violence on men

in families. Again, wives manipulated these as weapons

of threat, instigation, mockery, embarrassment,

destruction and expression of dissatisfaction. The paper

concluded that verbal violence utterances on husbands

yielded negative effects which made them to indulge in

illicit acts, alcoholism, womanizing and divorce.

Therefore, it was recommended that wives should desist

from this silent emotional hurt on men so as to curtail

wife battery, divorce and suicide.